They're ba-a-ack!
Every flower from this root system is infected with pernicious eriophyid mites. See the green sprouting in the centers? These flowers are goners and my only hope is that cutting the stem back to the ground keeps these mites from spreading.
And speaking of pests...aphids. Aphids! My foxgloves are infested.
They may look like an anime character come to life...
...but they are major trouble and desiccate the plant. I hate using chemicals, so I sprayed them with Dr. Bronner's castile soap. They seemed dead (but still clinging) the next day, so I gave them a good shot with the hose. It was pretty satisfying.
I probably say it every year, but I'm really looking forward to fall. I'm trying not to look for signs yet, since we're about a month away, but I keep noticing hints.
Acorns!
Geese in formation, or very nearly...
An occasional fall-colored leaf...
...and it's the time of year for spiders to come creeping. For a while, I cleaned our front porch of webs every morning, but they're just back again the next day. So I let them be.
(The next couple of photos are not for the spider-averse!!)
We've got a female orb weaver in our front window, absolutely massive. By day she huddles in the exterior window frame crevice...
...and by night, she sits in the middle of her web and waits for food. Yesterday, I noticed two very oddly-shaped spiders near her sleep-spot. Is it just me, or does this remind you of the position you'd take when watching Saturday morning cartoons?
It's a male and the same species as the female but much smaller. At first I thought he was dead...maybe a post-mating snack for the female...but I gave him a little poke and he sprang startlingly to life. Apparently this is just the male sleeping pose. She will probably eat him pretty soon...I check every day!
There's a lot of things happening on the porch besides the mini-dramas of spiders. Claudia has been vigilant about catching rodents.
I originally thought she'd caught a mouse, but closer inspection revealed it to be a vole.
Voles are terrible garden pests, eating bulbs and plant roots. Claudia is earning her keep for sure!
Construction dust continues. The pond behind our property is undergoing a major expansion, so the back fields are full of bulldozers and dump trucks.
On our property, there's constant hammering and activity. Construction is ongoing with both the barn and house. We don't quite have a dining room yet.
It seems like our little house is just full of holes right now. The electrician is running new lines...
...and the mud room is waiting to be walled in.
Meanwhile, I ripped the carpet from the stairs and am trying to decide how I want to finish the job. I like the look of painted stairs, but might just go with some kind of wood cladding.
I can't put my craft room fully together until our drywall guy does the finish work on a just-moved window (and, of course, I unearth the rest of my craft items from storage)...but at least the cats are getting some use out of those Kallaxes!
I did put the finishing touches on a little space in my office, though, and for an amazing price. Have a look at my new puzzle station!
I scored this wooden adjustable draft table at a storage unit sale for THREE DOLLARS. I bought some felt and velcro at JoAnn's ($8?) and Todd affixed it to the surface of the table (it's removable, so I can use the table for watercolors later). The side table is metal, with drop leaves. I found it for $10 at the IU Surplus Store. Spray paint was $5. So this amazing station came together for around $30! I have a lot of trouble with neck and shoulder pain, and the felt - which the puzzle pieces cling to - allows me to look straight ahead instead of staring down. It's a huge work surface...nearly 4' x 3'. The puzzle above is 2000 pieces. Here's how a normal 1000 piece puzzle fits:
There's even room for the box lid, which naturally clings to the felt surface. I'm very excited about this little oasis amid the chaos! I'll upgrade the rug and chair when I have time, but for now, it's perfect. I used to start feeling pain after about 20 minutes with a puzzle, but this completely eliminates the problem.
We HOPE the dining room is done by next week, and then we'll tackle the flooring and painting ourselves. We HOPE the barn is done within three weeks, and then we'll empty our 6 storage units and finally move all of our belongings and business merchandise to our property. Then it will just be a month or so of finishing touches. Done with everything by Christmas? A girl can dream!
Have a great week!
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